Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Vacation Day 6)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Wednesday, February 19th, 2025

Runs: 21

Distance: 26.02 miles

Elevation: 27,234 feet

Max Speed: 37.3 mph

Avg. Speed: 15.0 mph

Moving Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 45 minutes, 42 seconds

Officially the last day of vacation! We had our earliest wake-up of the trip at 6:00am (due to the weather I didn't go on/force my friends to go on any sunrise hikes), and we were up and out shockingly quickly! The drive to Saddleback was mostly in good condition, but there was one stretch of impressive snow drift before the height-of-land. We somehow made it to the mountain around 7:45am, which gave us an EXCELLENT parking spot and plenty of time for our chores. We got breakfast and our Indy passes at 8:00am, booted and suited up, and were ready to ski right when lifts opened at 8:30am! It was cold with a few clouds in the skies, but it was going to be an amazing day (we also joked that it was almost 30 degrees warmer with a high of 14). I was also thrilled because this day of Saddleback was my 20th day skiing for the season!

Daily Report

Wednesday, February 19th, 7:07 AM

If you're here today, you're in for a good one. Our full lineup of lifts will be spinning this morning, and with forecasted high of 14 in the base area, mostly sunny skies, and clear visibility for long-range views of the lakes and beyond - it's going to be a banner day here at Saddleback!

100% of the mountain is open and available. All glades, groomed, and natural terrain is skiing beautifully, and with a dusting of new snow last night, those first morning turns are going to be something special. If you're thinking of venturing into the trees, please be sure to bring a friend, but after hitting 150" snowfall mark this season, our base in teh woods is a great place for exploring and finding new favorite spots! Today (and the rest of the week) will be one to remember!

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Rangeley Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.94 mi; 3:06; 1,352 ft; 37.3 mph max; 18.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.99 mi; 2:59; 1,332 ft; 32.5 mph max; 19.9 mph avg]

Run 3: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - The Pass - Lower Professor - Lower Jane Craig

[1.15 mi; 5:14; 1,299 ft; 26.3 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 4: Rangeley Quad - Royal Coachman - The Pass - Lower Jane Craig

[1.03 mi; 5:34; 1,322 ft; 28.7 mph max; 11.1 mph avg]

My only goals for the day were to 1) have fun, 2) not think about the drive, 3) hit at least one natural run, and 4) ski Royal Coachman only becuase we skipped it on Saturday. Goal #4 was going to be accomplished on Run #1! We took the Rangeley up and followed Royal Coachman down, which started as a black and then became a blue after The Pass, but it felt no steeper than any of the blues on looker's right of the Rangeley. We ZOOMED down, the snow was excellent, and soon we were right back on the quad!

Next up was Grey Ghost, because we remembered it was starting to get skied off at the end-of-day Saturday (also because it's segment on Strava has the ghost emoji). Skied great, and again, soon enough were back on the Rangeley.

Run #3 was planned to be Parmanchee Belle as our degisnated natural terrain run, but at the headwall there was an "experts only/thin cover sign," and when we peeked down we saw a gnarly looking run - next! We landed on Lower Professor and Lower Jane Craig, both of which were LOVELY - groomed with soft, fresh cords. 

We finally accomplished the goal of a natural trail with Lower Jane Craig from The Pass (not via Professor). We followed the rules of "GNAR" and pole whacked the "headwall," and got going! It wasn't bumpy, but had some "exciting" variable conditions. Sarah did an awesome job being Emma's substitute teacher for this run, and I was definitely feeling better about natural terrain than before (not great, though). The trail became groomed at the junction with Professor, and we zoomed on down from there!

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 1:40; 646 ft; 23.7 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]

Run 6: Kenebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.88 mi; 7:23; 2,126 ft; 31.9 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

Run 7: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.13 mi; 4:18; 1,263 ft; 28.8 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Back on the Rangeley, it was time to face Gen's nemesis again, Green Weaver (it was totally fine since it was morning). Unfortunately, Sarah wanted to hit Tight Line again. I, again, was absolutely terrified. I knew I wanted to at least hit it from Firefly, but went back and forth (again) about the headwall. I decided to not be a baby be brave. I was NOT shaking on Dazzler, unlike on Saturday, and instead of doing long traverses of the headwall, I just copied Sarah's turn pattern, and made it down completely fine. Because of the turn pattern, I was going faster than last time, so instead of trying to stop at Firefly I just sent it down. I did, in fact, cry again, but we exchanged a fist-bump and then decided to do a tippy-top to tippy-bottom (Gen went down America, so we'd find her eventually at the Rangeley). We followed Lower Tight Line to connect the dots, which was unfortunately in worse condition than last time, but we hit lovely untouched corduroy on Lower Green Hornet and Dusty Miller. This run was long, scary, but incredibly satisfying!

Run #7 followed the South Branch and Rangeley up, and then we went down Grey Ghost, Jitterbug, Hudson Highway, and Red Devil. The view was still great on Red Devil, and with the headwall and tree island, this one might be my favorite (I chose Blue Devil as my pick for Saturday, in contrast). 

Runs 8-9

Run 8: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.50 mi; 2:26; 646 ft; 23.6 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 9: Kenebago Quad - America - Blue Devil

[1.75 mi; 6:54; 1,745 ft; 30.0 mph max; 15.2 mph avg]

We picked Gen up back at the Rangeley and went back to her nemesis, which was already getting scraped up (honestly fine, just required some brain). The clouds had finally cleared from the summit, so it was time for our first America run of the day. The Kenebago was now playing Brazillian music, which was an absolute blast! The view from America was absolutely insane as always, and we went down Blue Devil for a fun, fast run. At this point, we were COLD, so it was time for a hot chocolate break. Somehow, the lodge was super busy at this point, possibly busier than Saturday, so we had to chill on a bench instead of a table. 

Runs 10-14

Run 10: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.42 mi; 1:54; 643 ft; 22.3 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 11: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.98 mi; 4:14; 1,053 ft; 22.0 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 12: Kenebago Quad - America - Silver Doctor

[1.67 mi; 6:19; 1,647 ft; 29.8 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 13: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[1.15 mi; 4:18; 1,296 ft; 24.5 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

Run 14: Rangeley Quad - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet - Hummer

[1.77 mi; 7:21; 1,611 ft; 27.8 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

The next chunk of runs were just Gen and I, as Linnea and Andrew had officially arrived, so the two of them plus Sarah went off to ski some the steeps and woods off the Kenebago. We planned to all take the Rangeley up together, but somehow Gen, Sarah, and I got about 342 chair ahead of Linnea and Andrew (we're good friends, though, so we waited for them at the top). We followed Grey Ghost to The Pass to get near the Kenebago together, and then the advance team went up the Kenebago over to Dazzler while Gen and I went down Tri-Color, which was horribly skied off at this point. With Tri-Color crossed off the list, we went back to the Kenebago to get a nice run down America and Silver Doctor (we forgot Sneaky Pete existed at this point, so unfortunately, we had to cross Grey Ghost on the pass and side-step up... whoops!). 

Mine and Gen's plan now was to ski the rest of the mid-mountain blues that we hadn't yet. Run #13 was back up the Rangeley to ski the full Green Weaver (upper sucked, lower was wonderful), followed by Run #14 down Green Hornet to the tippy-bottom.

Runs 15-17

Run 15: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - The Pass - Blue Devil

[1.19 mi; 4:32; 1,257 ft; 27.4 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 16: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.66 mi; 3:17; 627 ft; 20.6 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 17: Kenebago Quad - America - Red Devil - Royal Tiger - Hornberg - Smelt Streamer

[2.34 mi; 9:09; 2,024 ft; 28.2 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Gen and I were feeling good about our runs, so we were reflecting on our favorites from the day and looking to revist some of our favorites - she was flirting with her two more skip the last. Run #15 was the Blue Devil, which was starting to get a bit icy, but overall was still a blast. Afterwards, Gen decided she was on her "three more skip the last." We headed back up the Rangeley, got a run with Sneaky Pete back to the Kenebago for her last run. We had an awesome run down America, Red Devil, Royal Tiger, Hornberg (over a bridge and through the condos), and finally Smelt Streamer. To my dismay, Gen decided to BREAK THE RULES and keep skiing after! She had a goal of skiing 15 miles and a dream of skiing 20, and after that run she was at 18ish, so she decided to call another "three more skip the last" (I told her if she falls and gets hurt this is why!). Thankfully, we finally caught up with our friends again! We had been on opposite lift/run schedules, but we finally got to link up!

Runs 18-19

Run 18: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.71 mi; 3:08; 630 ft; 24.0 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 19: Kenebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[2.47 mi; 10:26; 2,034 ft; 28.9 mph max; 14.6 mph avg]

We met the advanced team back at the Kenebago after a nice run from the Rangeley to Kenebago featuring Sneaky Pete again, and we were up! From the Kenebago, we followed America as a full group, making sure to get our pole picture from the top! The view from the top is so beautiful - especially towards the lakes and Mt. Washington (not Old Speck like I thought!). We followed America back to Sneaky Pete all the way over to Lower Green Weaver. At the Rangeley, Gen was all set and the rest of us went down the Mrs. Duley Glades (minus Andrew, who hit the baby park). The glades were bouncier than last time, and I got air a few times! I was practicing not locking my knees when I got airborne. 

Runs 20-21

Run 20: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.47 mi; 1:49; 623 ft; 23.6 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Run 21: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Blue Devil - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[2.30 mi; 9:46; 2,031 ft; 31.7 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

It was time for us to call three more skip the last, sadly. I was starting to feel the driving stress - mostly I just wanted to get to I-95 before it was too dark outside. We went back up to the top of the Rangeley, advanced team followed Professor into some glades while I went down Green Weaver. Our final run was my favorite run of the trip - I think partly because of the sentimental aspect of a tippy-top to tippy-bottom with friends at the end of a super fun six days of skiing, and also becuase it hits basically every type of terrain. America was a gentle cruiser with an incredible blue, then we made it to Blue Devil that was fast and fun. We went back into Mrs. Duley for some natural/trees, and bottomed out at the South Branch Quad - it hit everything on such an amazing mountain! We were all delusional and tired at this point, and were satsified with our day! The line for the South Branch was a little slow, and a single rider refused to get with a pair, and I might have said "why wouldn't he go" out loud, but thankfully he didn't hear me... whoops!

Afterwards, Sarah and I, who accidentally forgot about lunch, INHALED grab-n-go quesidillas, and the three of us made our way outside and over to the car. The first bit of our drive was absolutely beautiful, with an insanely awesome view to what we believe was the backside of Sugarloaf. We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner (accidentally the same Taco Bell Gen and I stopped at last year), and continued our drive home. Dropped Gen off first, and discovered her FROZEN driveway (exciting!) and then to Sarah's. I eventually made it home a little after 10:00pm. A late night, but so worth it for a day at Saddleback and a truly awesome trip! I feel like I'm a better skier after this trip with new confidence on groomers and an increased interest in the natural/bumpy side of things. Good news is that I have a day of rest, and then back to mountains!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Vacation Day 2)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Saturday, February 15th, 2025

Runs: 18

Distance: 20.74 miles

Elevation: 21,457 feet

Max Speed: 28.4 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.8 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes, 46 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 2 minutes, 15 seconds

Day two of vacation! Sarah and Alec landed somewhere in the 11:00pm hour last night, so we were delighted to see them at 6:15am when our alarms went off! The original plan for the trip was as follows: Sat - Mt. Abram; Sun - Saddleback; Mon - BMoM; Tues - Saddleback; Weds - BMom or Mt. Abram. This plan was quickly thrown out due to weather forecasts. I splurged and got the $30 Snowology subscription and it was highkey the best decision I had made, aside from learning to ski! Saturday was going to be the best day of weather, followed by a good amount of snow on Monday, insane winds on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday would be a toss-up. With this information, we pivoted our plans to going right to Saddleback! Alec stayed behind since he doesn't ski, and Gen, Sarah, and I were off around 6:45! The drive to Saddleback from Roxbury was as beautiful as we remembered, and only a little sketchy at times before and near the height-of-land. We started to get excited once we turned into Rangeley, and soon enough we were parked halfway down the first parking lot!

Daily Report

Saturday, February 15th, 7:00 AM

Ahh, you can breathe now. You're on vacation and you're at the mountain. There's 7-14 inches of snow lined up for tonight into Sunday night, and we just got out of a 10-inch storm the other day! Not a bad way to kickstart the week, eh? While on vacation mode, please remember to still ski with care for everyone's safety.

More moderate temps are here with us today, paired with cloudy skies. The upper mountain has been untouched since our recent snowstorm. You know what that means? The goods are in the woods! Go chase the powder! After your fresh snow hunts and groomer carves, stop by The Pub for live music performed by Barney Martin from 3pm - 6pm. Breathe in that mountain air.

Once we were parked, we headed into the lodge, which was delightfully quiet. We got grab-n-go breakfast, redeemed our Indy Passes (small line that moved quickly), and suited up for a beautiful day!

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 2:17; 640 ft; 23.6 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]

Run 2: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway

[2.42 mi; 11:01; 1,762 ft; 25.5 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 3: Rangeley Quad - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Silver Doctor

[0.70 mi; 3:30; 951 ft; 28.4 mph max; 12.0 mph avg]

Run 4: Little Inky Boy - Dusty Miller

[0.64 mi; 2:42; 663 ft; 28.3 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

We got right to work as the sun began to peek over the mountain. There were some whispy clouds high up that soon faded away to reveal a shocking bluebird day! First up was taking the Rangeley Quad up to the Green Weaver, which is the first of many new trails for Gen and I (and Sarah, as she'd never skied here before). It was nice and fun - generally mild at first with two steeper turns, with the steepest being down to the Kenebago Quad. We then hopped onto the Kenebago to introduce Sarah to America (and the dreadful Hudson Highway...). The view from up top was absolutely stunning. We could see what we thought was Old Speck, but turns out it was actually Mt. Washington and the Presidentials! The headwall at the end is fast and fun with a nice run-out - I remember this being an area where I started to get comfortable getting some speed last year, and it was super fun to revisit! We continued down onto Hudson Highway which was... rough. Low-tide and very chopped up by the groomers. I was kinda bummed because it is a fun, easy trail when there's nice snow! We flirted with hitting Morning Glory again now that we have poles and a fun little adventure, but we didn't want to take 15 minutes out of our day when it realistically could be our only Saddleback day. We skated across the flat section and were soon back at the Rangeley!

The quest to "ski the shit" out of the mountain continued by hopping back on the high-speed and scootching over to Silver Doctor. Sarah wanted to check out the Wolly Bugger Glades, so we'll find her again later. Silver Doctor was a fun, wide racing trail (they were setting up gates as we went down). I'm still working on my carving turns, so this was actually perfect for me. When Gen and I got back to the Rangeley, we remembered that woods take a lot longer than groomers, so we followed Little Inky Boy to Dusty Miller all the way to the bottom of the mountain, which was a great call because we hit a bunch of untouched corduroy! We took the slow South Branch Quad back up to find Sarah, and then we were back to business!

Also fun to point out, this was the real innaugural day with my new "Camp Snap" camera - a digital camera modeled after a disposable. We used it last night, too, but today was the big day! We tried to follow the rule "everyone gets one action shot" and just played around with it a bunch. I'll see how the photos came out when I get home on Wednesday!

Runs 5-9

Run 5: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.42 mi; 1:29; 636 ft; 22.2 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

Run 6: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color - Hudson Highway - Blue Devil

[1.57 mi; 7:35; 1,739 ft; 24.4 mph max; 12.4 mph avg]

Run 7: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.38 mi; 1:50; 633 ft; 19.2 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 8: Kenebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line

[0.57 mi; 3:05; 1,073 ft; 27.2 mph max; 11.0 mph avg]

Run 9: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Green Weaver

[1.31 mi; 6:15; 1,086 ft; 27.4 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Time to get serious for our next batch of runs! We scooped up Sarah and took the Rangeley back up to Green Weaver, which was slightly scraped off at this point. It was an exciting mash-up of scraped off trail and piles of deeper snow. We continued onto the Kenebago (which was not blasting EDM music like last year...) and followed Tri-Color Down to the Blue Devil. Tri-Color was beautiful - you could see the whole resort from the top, and it was fun to ski up top. It settles down at the junction with Firefly and drops out at the top of the Rangeley area. We meandered down Hudson Highway again to hit Blue Devil, which was narrower than Silver Doctor, but just as fun.

Back up the Rangeley, we hit Green Weaver again, which was rapidly deteriorating in condition, and we opted to hit the Kenebago Quad from the other side, so we took the first right at the headwall instead of the second. This is where things got interesting! Sarah was looking forward to exploring Casablanca, but wanted to hit Tight Line first. I felt confident that I could to Tight Line from Firefly, but I was TERRIFIED of the headwall. I was going back-and-forth the whole lift ride, but ultimately decided that 1) I know how to ski, 2) I know how to side slip if its too bad or too scary, and 3) Dazzler is flat and I could turn around and do a walk of shame if its too much. Gen went back down Tri-Color and I followed Sarah to the left across Dazzler to the headwall. I was SHAKING. We let everyone in front and behind us go first, and then I let Sarah go. Again, I know how to ski. The drop-in was by far the most terrifying part and this was easily the steepest thing I had done so far in my short career. I started by traversing basically the entire headwall followed by a tight turn and another traverse, slowly widening my turns. Sarah waited for me at Firefly, and from there it was just another fun, steep black run. I cruised down and back at the Kenebago fully began to cry. Sarah told me "you're literally fine you skied that well you didn't look a mess at all now lets get back on the lift" - important things! Our timing was good becuase Gen landed right when we were back, and up we went!

I requested an America run as a reward for doing the scary thing, so we went back up! Sarah went off to explore the glades as Gen and I ZOOMED down (not really we kept gawking at the view). We were done with Green Weaver, so we took Hudson Highway to Sneaky Pete to The Pass to get back over to the Kenebago - it was MUCH nicer (I also remember Sneaky Pete being terrifying last year and it was so easy this year - growth!). 

Runs 10-11

Run 10: Kenebago Quad - America - Hugson Highway - The Pass - Grey Ghost - Dusty Miller

[2.14 mi; 9:37; 2,024 ft; 25.1 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 11: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[1.31 mi; 6:27; 1,257 ft; 22.2 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

Gen and I decided we'd get our first tippy-top to tippy-bottom run in now. We went back up the Kenebago (we also noticed what looked like pee-stains on the snow near the top... intersting) and followed America to Hudson Highway to The Pass to Grey Ghost to Dusty Miller - super fun! Grey Ghost was wider than Silver Doctor (I think) and Blue Devil (definitely), but still super fun. Dusty Miller was easy and soft - just a delight. Clouds were starting to roll in the horizon, but the day was still stunning! We went back up the South Branch and Rangeley for Run #11 and wiggled our way over to the Lower Green Weaver, which also skied wonderfully (MUCH better than it's upper half!). We also took a different way to The Pass this time - via Grey Ghost - which became our new preferred route. 

Runs 12-14

Run 12: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet

[1.31 mi; 5:19; 1,237 ft; 25.2 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

Run 13: Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.11 mi; 4:40; 1,240 ft; 24.3 mph max; 14.2 mph avg]

Run 14: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.76 mi; 7:52; 1,558 ft; 22.1 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

We picked up Sarah back at the Rangeley - she LOVED Casablanca - and headed back up! Gen and I were ticking away at groomed blues that we'd never done before, so next up was the Green Hornet! It skied just as well as lower Green Weaver. Next up was the Red Devil. We follwed Grey Ghost to Jitterbug - which was a nice cut-through IF there weren't others around, but there were frequently many others. We needed to catch some speed coming down the Hudson Highway headwall since there was a medium uphill to get to Red Devil, but once we were there it was great! A lovely view followed by a steeper headwall and then a great intermediate run featuring a tree island. 

The last groomed blue in the Kenebago area we still needed was the Lower Tight Line. We were brave and followed Green Weaver from the top of the Rangeley, which all-in-all was fine, just unpleasant to ski. Lower Tight Line was tight but super low-tide, so we had to dodge some exposed earth and rocks. Overall it was fine. Glad we did it, don't need to do it again! We then followed Lower Green Hornet and Dusty Miller to bring Sarah to the Tippy Bottom for the first time!

Runs 15-16

Run 15: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver

[0.64 mi; 3:30; 636 ft; 21.6 mph max; 10.9 mph avg]

Run 16: Kenebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - The Pass - Blue Devil

[1.60 mi; 8:04; 1,680 ft; 24.3 mph max; 11.9 mph avg]

At this point, Gen was on her "three more skip the last." We took the South Branch and Rangeley Quads up to Grey Ghost, The Pass, and Green Weaver to get to the Kenebago (Grey Ghost was getting soft now with a few icy patches). From the Kenebago, we hit America to Blue Devil again, which was a super fun and beautiful run! Gen went inside while Sarah and I got just a couple more in before calling it a day. At this point, Alec drove up to go for a hike near Rangeley and was going to meet us at The Pub in the lodge for dinner/late lunch!

Runs 17-18

Run 17: Rangeley Quad - Green Weaver

[0.50 mi; 2:38; 617 ft; 17.6 mph max; 11.3 mph avg]

Run 18: Kenebago Quad - Tri-Color- Grey Ghost - Royal Tiger - Mrs. Duley Glades

[1.85 mi; 9:08; 1,995 ft; 25.3 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

Daily Report

Saturday, February 15, 2:39 PM

A stormsa brewin' and we are pumped! Forecasters call for 7-14 inches of snow incoming tonight through tomorrow night! 

Surprise! We were expecting clouds but were gifted with crispy views and poppy blue skies. Soft snow and calm air in a bluebird atmosphere are sure to sooth the soul. Today, the already skied or groomed snow rode nicer than the untouched, but every day the snow changes. The edge-able groomers were top notch, and chewed up glades were a delight to swift through.

We opted to now do our "three more skip the last." Rangeley up, Green Weaver to Kenebago (which somehow got even  more brutal), and then up the Kenebago for another tippy-top to tippy-bottom run! We followed the fully scraped-off Tri-Color down to Grey Ghost first. We got a photo with the Grey Ghost sign since the grey ghost is the mascot for the high school we teach marching band at. From there, we followed Grey Ghost all the way down (after The Pass the trail was lovely) to Royal Tiger, and then dipped into the Mrs. Duley Glades, which were super fun! A little tricky to control speed for me since it was mostly a single-track, but we had a blast. 

We rode the South Branch Quad back to the lodge as Alec and Gen went upstairs to get a table for dinner. We got our apres drinks and a lovely dinner (I DEMOLISHED a burger and poutine), and then worked our way back home! We stopped at the grocery store in Rangeley to pick up some snacks and dessert, and once home we continued to watch the Hoarders channel before winding down for bed. This was such a fun day, and also a super rewarding day. I did, in fact, ski the shit out of the mountain (or at least the trails that were within my skill set!). 

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Time for our second day of skiing saddleback! An interesting thing about skiing versus hiking that skiing has a firm start time (I’m not into skinning… yet), so Gen and I were both up at 6, but really couldn’t leave until 7. There was a fresh coat of about an inch of snow on the road which made for an interesting drive. The really pretty part on Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway was… terrifying. Lots of slush on a winding mountain road. Thankfully we were editing Gen’s mom’s cover letter which kept my mind occupied while I was white-knuckling. We got breakfast at Classic Provision in town just after 8am, made it to the mountain around 9, and were skiing by 10!

Daily Report

Monday, February 19 @ 7:49am

        I woke up to the sound of the plow truck out sanding the roads - you know what that means! It snowed again overnight. We picked up another 2" of fresh snow. Now my creative brain doesn't like to do math, but that adds up to 5" in the last couple of days. An inch here, a few inches there - it all helps!

        We're waking up to partly sunny skies and some strong WNW winds. Winds may cause some lift operations challenges this morning, so please, refresh this page for the latest updates. We will check back as we get closer to 8:30am. Temps are currently in the single digits but should climb to 11-13 degrees around the base as the day goes on.

        Surfaces are a mixture of machine-groomed and hard-packed. Ski Patrol has dropped some ropes on natural trails. Even if a natural trail is open, it's best to proceed with caution if there's a layer of fresh snow, keep in mind there is a layer of hard pack below it.

        I want to take a moment to thank our ski patrollers, lift mechanics, terrain park crew, and all other staff who get out, get on the hill before all of us, and work to make sure we have a fun and safe day. I think it goes without saying, but please give our staff a safe distance on the mountain. If a ski patroller is out installing rope, or a terrain park crew member is out raking a jump take-off, do not speed right by them. Slow down, and give them the space they need to do their job.

Runs 1-3 

Run 1: Royal Tiger

0.55 miles, 3:21, 358 feet, 15.4 mph max, 9.9 mph avg.

Run 2: Dusty Miller - Hummer - Royal Tiger

0.61 miles, 3:00, 384 feet, 19.7 mph max, 12.2 mph avg.

Run 3: Royal Tiger - Hornberg - Smelt Streamer

0.64 miles, 3:31, 377 feet, 21.4 mph max, 10.9 mph avg.

We decided to start in the beginner area again just to get our ski legs back on, apply some skills from yesterday, and get confidence up for our big challenges du jour. The first run was right down Royal Tiger, where I focused on parallel turns, guiding with my knees and outside big toe (NOT HEELS). Run 2 was down Dusty Miller to Hummer again, to apply the skills on a more secluded run. It was COLD at this point in the day. Temperatures in single digits and winds winding pretty hard. Thankfully lifts were running and the sun was shining! Run 3 was a confidence run - I had hoped to take Hornberg to Smelt Streamer, but there was a family with a sled in the way of the bridge, and I know I needed speed to get up to the mini headwall, so I turned onto Smelt Streamer to finish out the run. My goal here was to get comfortable picking up speed to avoid the skating on Hudson Highway.

Run 4 & 4.5: Hudson Highway - Wheeler Slope - Royal Tiger

2.30 miles, 11:22, 1,575 feet, 27.6 mph max, 12.2 mph avg.

My redemption run! We took the Rangeley Quad up and I was going to conquer the headwall on the Hudson Highway. The wind continued to howl but thankfully the lift moves quickly. We skating across the flat summit area and started the descent. I was really grateful for our practicing yesterday, because I truly think I forgot how to move slowly. I zig-zagged across the trail to keep a slower speed, paused before the headwall, and started the descent! I stayed in control and took my time. All was going great! Just as I was about to finish I saw a yellow sign that caused every neuropathway in my brain to break down and I fell right on my bum, making a hysterical print in the snow. The sign said “thin cover.” I collected what was left of my pride and had a lovely, quick descent. I wanted to go faster, but a dad in a one-piece fire-themed ski suit and his kid were taking up the trail most the way. I had to skate for maybe 20-30 feet this time, which is MUCH better than last time. I was ahead of Gen, and after waiting for a couple minutes I decided to go to the lodge area to adjust my boots (apparently two buckles popped off when I feel and I never noticed). She still never appeared! I eventually saw a missed call from her, but when I called back I didn’t get an answer. I looked around for her at the lodge, uphill, and at the line for the lift, but nothing. She mentioned going all the way down to the South Branch Quad, so I assumed she went down there when she didn’t see me. I went down Royal Tiger again, and near the bottom got a call from Gen who just finished Hudson Highway - oops! She got confused at the T-Bar loading area and wasn’t sure where to go. Thankfully we both survived! She met me at the bottom and we rode the lift back up.

Run 5: Hudson Highway - Wheeler Slope

1.90 miles, 9:18, 1,280 feet, 28.5 mph max, 12.2 mph avg.

Time for my actual redemption this time! We took the Rangeley Quad up, skated  over to the Hudson Highway, started the descent in a cool, controlled manner, paused at the top of the headwall, and made my way down CALM COOL AND COLLECTED. A challenging part about here was the snow was just deeper and more dense. Plus, the whipping wind. I paused at the junction with The Pass, took a deep breath, and finished it out. I made it to the yellow sign, shot right through it, and made it down! I was very proud of myself, almost to an embarrassing extent. I kept up my speed and was back a little faster - yay!

Run 6: Hudson Highway - The Pass - Green Weaver

0.61 miles, 7:46, 653 feet, 15.8 mph max, 4.7 mph avg.

This one included a soft-break. Gen and I decided to head up but take a break at The Nest, but when we got there we realized they were closed. Thankfully, the doors were open and it was essentially a really scenic warming hut - with a bathroom (which was insanely pink). Our goal was to take the Hudson Highway to The Pass, which would bring us to the Kennebago Quad. After not eating lunch, we continued onto the area we knew well. I did a good job with the headwall again - yay! Instead of continuing down Hudson Highway, we turned onto The Pass, scotched across the top of the T-Bar, and paused at the Grey Ghost Crossing. There was a trail slightly uphill across the way and one further downhill. Gen and I couldn’t agree on which was correct, so I asked a few people around us, and no one knew. I eventually checked the map on my phone, and was pretty confident we had to take the slightly uphill one, which was a bummer (thank god I was right, the one downhill was a black run - “Golden Smelt” - that would have been a bummer). We made sure the coast was clear, scotched across the Grey Ghost, and then side-stepped up about 10 feet to continue on The Pass, which was also a bummer, but less of a bummer than an accidental black. The Royal Coachman was our last big crossing, and then the rest of the run was easy. There was a small headwall right before the Kennebago Quad loading area on the Upper Green Weaver, but it truly was fine. The lifties were playing some EDM and dancing, which was just fun to see. Not many people around here.

Run 7: America - Hudson Highway - Wheeler Slope

2.40 miles, 11:40, 1,693 feet, 28.7 mph max, 12.3 mph avg.

We were about to conquer our main goal for the day - going to the top! It was equally beautiful and terrifying heading up this high on the lift. The trees were in full marshmallow mode, and soon enough we were up top! We took a bunch of photos but had to keep it moving - it was cold! Our plan was to take America down, which is listed as blue trail on the map but as green from the summit sign. It rode similar to Hudson Highway, but 100x more beautiful with a few steeper sections. This trail was so stunning I kept pausing to take photos - if it weren’t for the insane wind, I could have spent all day up there. There was a steeper section towards the junction with Hudson Highway, and then it was all familiar territory from there. Since we didn’t get to have lunch a The Nest, we decided to take Hudson Highway back to the lodge. I got a new PR on that trail - 5 minutes and 15 seconds! Much faster than my first time two days ago of 16 minutes and 7 seconds! We had a great lunch at The Pub, which was huge and had a great old ski map of the mountain. The poutine wasn’t really poutine, but it was delicious! Afterwards, we ran down to the retail shop to get some souvenirs, and Gen decided she was going to hang back while I got a few more runs in “two more skip the last.”

Run 8: Hudson Highway - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Green Weaver

0.75 miles, 4:50, 636 feet, 15.3 mph max, 9.2 mph avg.

Riding solo! I guess my “two runs skip the last” was actually “three runs skip the last” because I wasn’t mentally considering taking The Pass to the Kennebago Quad a run (it counts!). I made friends with someone else who was riding solo and was aggressively trying to convince me to ski with her down some of the blues in the area, but I was hellbent on sticking to my plan. We parted ways, and I made my way down to the Kennebago Quad, but this time I took Sneaky Pete to avoid the side-stepping when crossing Royal Coachman - good choice! I got stuck behind a couple trying Telemark Skiing on The Pass, but it was fine. I scooted down the headwall, enjoyed the EDM and dancing lifties again, and was on my way back up to the top for my final run of the day!

Run 9: America - Hudson Highway - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

2.65 miles, 12:03, 2,037 feet, 28.1 mph max, 13.2 mph avg.

Here we go! Riding solo. American down was just as beautiful, even if I had to share it with a couple of other skiers/snowboarders. I took Hudson Highway to Sneaky Pete to The Pass all the way over to the Upper Green Weaver junction. Unfortunately, to continue on The Pass, I had to side-step up again, but I officially completed the The Pass! I checked my map, and thankfully the only way down from here was where I wanted to be - the Lower Tightline - which was a nice, shaded trail. The ground was pretty frozen, but not sheet ice, and seemed seldom traveled, which I was a fan of. It was definitely the next step up after Hudson Highway/America, but nothing out of my comfort zone. I then took Lower Green Hornet to Dusty Miller, officially completing my top-to-bottom run at the South Branch Quad! I was really, REALLY proud of myself for accomplishing so much - this was my first time making it all the way down a mountain (unfortunately, I am not counting Nashoba, and I didn’t take a summit T-Bar from Tecumseh), and I did it by myself! Only bummer was that I had to take the glacially slow South Branch Quad back up with two kids, which was a solid 8-minute ride. Afterwards, I met back up with Gen, we got weird dinner materials at the IGA in Rangeley, and had our hour-long drive back to the hotel. In a short reflection, I really love Saddleback. The people are just lovely, the mountain is well laid out, and I just felt GOOD. We will definitely be back next year! We have one more half day left of vacation, which we will spend at Black Mountain of Maine again. We have a few recommend ways to get down from the summit, and then we should be on our way back to Boston/Quincy.

Saddleback Mountain Map (2024)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Indy Pass ski vacation is in action! Gen and I arrived to Rumford Friday night, home of Back Mountain of Maine, and woke up early to make the additional hour drive to Rangeley for our first day of skiing in Saddleback Mountain! We arrived at the lodge around 8:15am, just before lifts opened, easily redeemed our passes, slowly got set up, and took it all in! We were excited and nervous for the day to come, especially since it was Gen's first ski day of the season. The atmosphere of the lodge was lovely, cozy, and friendly, and the staff were truly delightful. Our day would consist of 9 runs in 18-degree weather, almost no wind, and constant snowglobe snow!

Mountain Report

Saturday, February 17th @ 7:05am

        "First tracks on groomed trails this morning will be amazing" - Jared. you heard it here first. Come and get it while it's hot. All of our lifts are expected to start spinning at 8:30am, allowing you to lap Maine's Favorite Mountain. The clouds dropped off another 2 inches of snow within the past 24 hours, refreshing the surface oh so nice. Even though it was windy, conditions were great yesterday, and I couldn't contains the "yewwwws!" coming out of my mouth. I expect some of the same, if not better, today.

        Temperatures in the low 20s will be present at teh base area, while the summit will range from 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit. Throw in some overcast skies and a breeze, and that's the weather for today. 

        Did you know that we as a mountain and a community are back to back champs?! Gather 'round the base area today, Saturday, February 17th, at noon, and join us for a special surprise enveiling! What could it possibly be? I don't know, you'll have to come find out!

        Throughout the week, lifts will continue to open to the public at 8:30am, giving y'all some extra time on the slopes. Take advantage of it!

        The SBTP crew worked late the other night to bring you some fresh features in Wheeler Park. It's an all-you-can-hit buffet with some new additions: a down tube, flat double barrel, flat box, and a flat down flat bar. Plus, the 13' half pipe on Montreal is open. This is Maine's only Zaugg cut and maintained half pipe. Rip it up!

Saturday, February 17th @ 1:23pm

        Whoever shook the snow globe at Saddleback, we love you! Flakes have been floating down from above all day, blanketing our trails in that white gold. Keep it comin' Mother Nature! Conditions on the groomed trails were top tier today. Natural terrain is starting to get deeper, but beware of the hidden hard pack underneath. it's been a rockin' start to President's week, and we are stoked to have you here for the unique Saddleback experience.

Run 1: Lodge to South Branch Quad via Royal Tiger

[0.50 miles, 3:19, 341 feet, 17.6 mph max, 9.0 mph avg]
Something I read about Saddleback was that the beginner area is FANTASTIC since it is below the lodge area (therefore, no speeding bullet skiers flying past you), and I agree! Our day started with a run right away heading down the Royal Tiger to the base of the South Branch Quad. Every time I take my first run it feels like I’ve never skied before, but slowly it became more comfortable. My specific goals for this trip are to work on my edge turns and keeping my shoulders facing forward the whole time.

Run 2: Dusty Miller to Hummer to Royal Tiger

[0.61 miles, 3:22, 367 feet, 18.8 mph max, 10.8 mph avg]

We were excited that the whole area here was filled with green trails, so for run #2 we decided to hang right to Dusty Miller. This was also our first lift ride of the day, and our first encounter with our new favorite lifty - an old guy with a handlebar mustache who would aggressively wave at us and was wearing different, insane hat. We saw a top hat, Native American headdress (yikes), and a flamingo. Royal Tiger was filled with day-one beginners, and there was NO ONE back here! The trails were groomed, but the snow globe-snow had the tops super soft, and there were minimal tracks at this point of the morning. It was fun to experience not-first-tracks-but-still-early-tracks. It was also a very different experience going through a couple inches of powder, even on this easy run. I turned onto Hummer on a whim, and sadly slowed down a little too much at the end before Royal Tiger, so I had to ski-skate up to Royal Tiger for the final descent.

Run 3: Dusty Miller

[0.60 miles, 2:41, 358 feet, 21.2 mph max, 13.4 mph avg]

At this point, we were noticing how slow this lift was. We sat with a nice girl who’s been skiing here since she was 3 (and she truly could have been anywhere from 13-21 years old, who knows), and when the lift kept stopping we had nice chit-chat. The terrain here was excellent, but man, the lift was slow. This time, we took Dusty Miller all the way down, and it was just a lovely run. The trails were getting a little more busy at this point, but still nothing bad at all.

Run 4: Royal Tiger to Smelt Streamer

[0.60 miles, 3:53, 367 feet, 19.8 mph max, 9.3 mph avg]

Our next goal was to hit the other side of this area. We were aiming for Hornberg, but missed the entrance and hit Smelt Streamer instead. This was a nice trail with a little more variation than the others. We were extra careful to not hit the terrain park, and succeeded!

Run 5: Royal Tiger to Hornberg to Smelt Streamer

[0.63 miles, 4:12, 367 feet, 20.7 mph max, 9.0 mph avg]

More successful this time! The sign for Hornberg was tucked away. Gen didn’t trust it when we flattened out around a bunch of Condos, but I was pretty sure it continued on. I continued past through deeper snow, over a bridge (SCARY!), and then bottomed out and had to ski-skate up a small incline. From here, there were no signs, but there was a nice man watching his child lay in the snow. I asked him if I was horribly lost, and he said no and simply pointed down a short steep where the trail continued, and then linked back with the Smelt Streamer. I eventually met Gen at the end, and on we went!

Run 6: Dusty Miller to Hummer to Royal Tiger

[0.61 miles, 2:40, 364 feet, 19.8 mph max, 13.6 mph avg]

Our last lap in this area for now! We wanted one more nice easy run before we took a warming break (neither of us could feel our toes), so we went back to the other side to cruise down. I planned to do Dusty Miller all the way again, but I found the ski school on the lower part of that trail, so I switched over to the Hummer again. At this point, I feel I was getting better at aiming my shoulders at one place, and was continuing to practicing using my edges by engaging my knees.

BREAK

We took a lovely break by the large fireplace in the lodge to warm up and drink some gatorade.

Run 7: Hudson Highway

[1.82 miles, 13:55, 1,273 feet, 22.8 mph max, 7.9 mph avg]

It’s time! We scootched over from the lodge to the Rangely High-Speed Quad, sat with two others (who seemed to have a similar relationship as me and Emma, one expert and one apprentice), and made our way up! I loved this ride. The snow globe was in full effect, and as we got higher up the trees became more encrusted with snow. The unloading area was VERY flat, which was a solid bummer, but c’est la vie. The guy on the lift mentioned that the Hudson Highway does have some rough flat section, but we decided to fully experience it at least once, even if it’ll suck. From the top, the trail was BUSY. In hindsight, we should have waited. Oh well! The upper part was fast, and that led into a tricky head wall. I was moving too fast, I was stressed, and there were people EVERYWHERE, so naturally, I fell. I definitely struggle with head walls. Maybe I’m fighting it too much? Not sure. After the head wall, the rest of the trail was lovely! Most people went over to The Pass, so the Hudson Highway was nice and quiet. I had to pause at the junction with Morning Glory because I had noticed a sound coming from my right ski, and my outer brake was still in brake position and dragging. I ended up taking off the ski and man handling it back into place, which seemed to work? Unfortunately, all momentum was lost, and we had a long, painful ski-skate back to the lodge, as the entire last bit was flat. Absolutely brutal. I was SWEATING.

Run 8: Hudson Highway to Morning Glory

[2.24 miles, 16:03, 1,562 feet, 23.5 mph max, 8.4 mph avg]

Take two! Just me and Gen on the chair this time, and the views were just as beautiful. We scootched over next to The Next to cut off a few feet of ski-skating, and we were off! There were SIGNIFICANTLY less people this time, which was perfect, but on the head wall my skis crossed and I went splat, again. More impressively this time, too! I landed on my belly and slid 6ish extra feet. Oh well. Skis back on, and down I went! I noticed when my skis crossed, it felt like they were being covered in snow? I will conquer this. I got some speed after this, and definitely enjoyed my trip down. My legs were feeling it at this point, but I was trying to remember to use my knees to turn and keep shoulders pointing down. I also realized I use my heels A LOT, which is a habit I need to break. We made our way to the Morning Glory junction, and in an effort to avoid the flat part of Hudson Highway, we turned onto Morning Glory. The upper part of this trail was my favorite yet! Snow was light and fluffy with not too many tracks, and the terrain varied from short steeps, long but pretty flats, and a few ups-and-downs. It was a trail where it was fun to go fast because you didn’t feel like you were going to die! All was great… until we hit the bottom of the run near the road crossings. There was a guy hiking up, skis in hand, and he said he thought he was lost and if I knew where we were. I told him yeah but I’m a mess. He mentioned a road crossing coming up, which I knew about. He ended up slowly following us to the road crossing. The trail continuation wasn’t very clear, unfortunately, but we found the hole (slightly downhill on the road), where the trail flatly continued. There was a lot of skating here. Then, the trail crossed the mountain road, and continued to be flat with small ups and downs. Absolutely brutal and slow. I ended up facetiming Emma to get my mind off of it. This sucked. After who knows long and MUCH more physical exertion than I planned, we made it to some condos and FINALLY a small head wall that finally led us back to the South Branch Quad. Poles definitely would have helped us here, but at least our skating technique improved! We parted ways with our new friend, who said that was the biggest mistake of his life, and Gen and I decided we would hit one of the nice greens again as a palate cleanser.

Run 9: Dusty Miller

[0.62 miles, 2:52, 367 feet, 18.1 mph max, 12.9 mph avg]

The palate cleanser - a lovely final run on Dusty Miller. Not much to say here, beside my body and brain were tired. My heart wanted to ski more, but a break was needed. On the lift, Gen and I decided we would take a break and then decide what we wanted to do next. After sitting by the fire for a bit, we finally decided that we would pack up, get lunch in town, do some shopping, and then head back. Only bummer was that we didn’t get to hear the live music at the mountain apres, but that’s okay! We had a great lunch, I got a “cold as f*ck” sweatshirt, a beautiful drive home, a lovely siesta, and then a fun dinner at the Rumford Inn, which was equally as sketchy as it was lovely. Tomorrow’s plan is to hike Whitecap Mountain in the morning and then ski Black Mountain of Maine!

Saddleback Mountain Map (2024)